With the emphasis on placing cellphones in phone boxes and cubbies prior to class, many students have differing opinions on whether this is a good practice by Saint Paul’s.

Saint Paul’s sophomore Jacob Marcel argues phones should NOT be accessible during class:

Saint Paul’s students are always on their phones. Sometimes, they are on their phones at the wrong time, like during class, assemblies, masses, and tests.

Using your phone during class is not advisable as it could lead to poor academic performance and a waste of your parents’ money. Attending Saint Paul’s costs about $10,000 a year, and if you spend most of your time on your phone, you may not achieve the desired grades.

Janet Ferone, President of Ferone Educational Consulting states, “The amount of time and escalation that results from a teacher trying to take a phone from a student can derail a whole class.” This does not even account for the minutes or even hours students would spend paying attention to their phones instead of their education during class.

Another negative effect of using smartphones during class is the tendency to blame teachers and other students. Instead of taking personal responsibility for their actions, some students may try to blame others for their own distractions.

It is essential to acknowledge that success in education results from individual effort, dedication, and focus. By removing distractions such as smartphones, students can create a better learning environment, and the students can take more accountability for their own grades.

Smartphone use during class is harmful not only to the individual using it but can also be disruptive to their peers. Phones are a distraction that may also disturb students sitting around them. When students pay more attention to their phones or others, they lose focus on the teacher and the lesson. Class is at its best when everyone is focused on the class.

Students’ phones are also used to cheat on tests because students can get any information off the internet. Relying on technology to cheat will prevent actual learning.

Some students go as far as putting fake phones in the phone holders just so they can cheat on their phones and get a good grade on a test without studying. Moreover, the fact that students are resulting in this desperate practice of hiding phones shows how addicted students are to their phones.

On average, high school students spend at least four hours a day looking at their phones. The number would be far greater if we were allowed to use them in class.

Saint Paul’s sophomore Tyler Smith, my opponent in this debate, admits that he uses his phone “10 hours a day, minimum,” which is equivalent to 70 hours a week.” Considering the average American work week is 40 hours, the 70 hours that Smith spends on his phone is almost equivalent to two full-time jobs.

Obviously, students should be required to put their phones away during class, if for no other reason than to stop phone addiction.

Saint Paul’s sophomore Tyler Smith argues phones SHOULD be accessible during class:

Saint Paul’s students don’t get to use their phones enough in class. 

Phones are important for many reasons.

According to Life360.com, “Phones provide easy communication, social life, and the most obvious information.”

For example, phones allow students to send messages easily. Cell phones are essential if you are ever in an emergency or need help. Saint Paul’s has been prioritizing safety, so it’s inconsistent that the school would not allow students to use phones during times of crises when communication is most important.

According to Bark.us, “another reason [why phones should be permissible] is the number of students who have split parents and need to know if they have a ride or where they are spending the night.” In some cases, having split parents can make school and life harder than they already are, so having these phones gives students a sense of comfortability.

In most classes, teachers won’t allow anyone to grab their phones at all, so having them would make students more at peace and less stress-free. Mental health is a major problem in society, and you never know what someone else is going through. Some students use their phones to cope.

Another important mental health reason to have phones is they help with social life. This includes parents, siblings, and friends, which everyone needs. Friends and parents will always be there, and if you’re ever going through anything, not having phones during school could possibly make it worse.

Another reason students should be able to use their phones is because it can be used as an extra learning tool. This can be especially beneficial in classrooms that don’t have enough iPads or computers for each student. Students can use their phones to research, answer online classroom questions, and even type their own individual responses to questions or essays.

The phone holds just about all the information we need to answer any question in school. This is why we should be able to use them more as a learning tool and as a search engine instead of using them for games or other non-important apps. It should be up to the teachers to regulate phone usage to prevent gaming and internet searches that are not on task with learning. But phones can definitely help with learning more information about subjects we learn in class.

Students can also use phones for communication projects in class. Phones enable students to collaborate on projects, access assignments, and receive real-time teacher feedback. They can participate in group chats, share documents, and stay connected with classmates even outside the classroom.

Finally, Saint Paul’s students should be allowed to use their phones because students can use them in most colleges, and Saint Paul’s is supposed to prepare us for college.

In sum, the usefulness of phones in school and outside of school is endless, and preventing students from using technology should be seen as going backward, not progressing.